Book Cover - Beginners by Tom VanderbuiltVIRTUAL - February 4 - "Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning" by Tom Vanderbilt

An engaging look at lifelong learning as we progress into the new year.

 

“Have we ever needed a fresher start than the one promised by 2021?  As we head into a new year with all its hopes—new year, new you, newly recovered world—there is one thing from the outgoing annus horribilis we should carry forward and even deepen: the spirit of the novice.  The pandemic turned us all into beginners. Suddenly, the usual ways of doing things were no longer an option… Just as noteworthy is how many people, in the face of such disruption, decided that they wanted to learn new things… But cultivating new skills and habits is a challenge.” 

Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to fail? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of being a beginner? Or is it simply a fact that you can't teach an old dog new tricks?  Inspired by his young daughter's insatiable need to know how to do almost everything, and stymied by his own rut of mid-career competence, Tom Vanderbilt begins a year of learning purely for the sake of learning. He tackles five main skills (and picks up a few more along the way), choosing them for their difficulty to master and their distinct lack of career marketability--chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling.

What he doesn't expect is finding himself having rapturous experiences singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts to explore the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner. Weaving comprehensive research and surprising insight gained from his year of learning dangerously, Vanderbilt shows how anyone can begin again--and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps. Ultimately, he shares how a refreshed sense of curiosity opened him up to a profound happiness and a deeper connection to the people around him--and how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.
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Tom Vanderbilt writes on design, technology, architecture, science, and many other topics.
 
He is author of "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)" published in 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf, and "Survival City: Adventures Among the Ruins of Atomic America," published in 2002 by Princeton Architectural Press.
 
He is contributing editor to I.D. and Print magazines, contributing writer at Design Observer, and writes for many publications, ranging from Wired to the New York Times to Men's Vogue to the Wilson Quarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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NOTE: To join the Webinar, you will need to RSVP below, and a link for the  session will be sent to you 24-48 hours in advance of the talk. 

 

Date:

Thursday February 4, 2021

Time:

7:00 PM to 8:00 PM 

Location:

Webinar
** when you RSVP for the event via the link below, you will receive a link for the webinar 24-48 hours in advance of the talk ** 

Cost:

Free.

Tickets:

To confirm for the event, click here

Who:

Open to members and alumni

Inquiries:

For further info email jeblack0621@gmail.com